How To:
In October 2009, at St Bernadette’s Primary School, we celebrated The Arts with a very well attended art show. Some of the art displays were illuminated including these elegant cane and tissue paper sculptures made by our Level 4 students.
Early in the year I attended the Zart Tissue & Cane Sculpture workshop run by Tania Di Berardino, which was very inspiring. I then went on to teach the children the basics of creating a simple sculpture using sticks and tissue paper. The process involved making a tripod out of sticks and taping them together. Next, strips of tissue paper were torn and pasted across the three sections of the tripod with diluted PVA. Finally, a layer of decorative delicate papers was added to create an interesting effect. This activity was a good foundation for the final task.
The students first observed photographs of organic sculptures made from natural materials. These images were a starting point in generating ideas for their own organic sculptures. Then they worked in small groups to make a larger, more complex sculpture using cane, sticks, tissue paper, wool and PVA, When testing out the cane, they loved its flexibility and versatility, which gave them further inspiration to create shapes.
First, each group presented a sketch of the sculpture they intended to make. Once they had started building their sculptures some had to go back to the drawing board, as they couldn’t get their work to balance. Often one idea grew from another as they discovered the possibilities of using cane. Availability of decorative papers, beads, feathers and wools further inspired the students, as they continued to add to their designs.
For the art show I placed white plastic underneath the sculptures and ran fairy lights under and over them. The room was darkened and soothing music played. The soft glow of the sculptures drew gasps for onlookers and the overall effect was like an Arctic scene. Some of the sculptures were over 130cm tall, and were quite cumbersome to store. This was a very enjoyable activity for the students and they were surprised at how fabulous their illuminated work looked on the night.
Joanna Elliott
